Agricultural Genetics

The objective of this subject is to introduce students to the concepts of genetics and the effects of genetic variation and selection used to propagate valuable heritable trait combinations in crop plants and farm animals. Topics covered include - Historical background around (origin) genetics, nature of variation, cell structure and cell division, early concepts of inheritance, Mendel's laws, chromosomal theory of inheritance, Quantitative genetics, Gene interactions, Major genes, Sex determination, differentiation and sex-linkage, Sex influenced and sex-limited traits, linkage-detection, estimation, recombination and genetic mapping, Population genetics, Frequencies of genes and genotypes, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, Molecular genetics, Gene expression and Central Dogma (DNA to RNA to protein), Genotyping and Genomic selection, Genetic defects and DNA testing, Conventional plant and animal improvement, Genotype and Environment interactions, genetic modification, implications of biotechnology to agricultural sustainability. At the completion of this subject student should be able to understand: